Summary of the DRAFT Diagnostic Tool for School District Effectiveness Report – East
Ramapo Central School District
The Draft Report to be released later this month by the State Education Department has found
and documented significant failures by the leadership of the East Ramapo Central School
District, including:
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A lack of direction from the district for improving students’ achievement throughout the
district, which has resulted in considerable inconsistencies in the extent to which the
district meets students’ needs. After years of decline in student achievement, the
district’s goals have remained stagnant since 2009, and district leadership was found to
lack direction and clarity about an overall district goal.
District leadership reports that it has not implemented a robust financial planning strategy
to ensure that the district’s limited resources are effectively invested.
The district has failed its teachers by acknowledging it does not have a staffing strategy
that allows it to address students’ needs effectively and lacking a coordinated approach to
professional development. This has contributed to an environment where students’
academic needs are not being met in the classroom, and to insufficient support to address
the social and emotional developmental needs of students.
The report validates multiple other reports of the district’s inability to build positive
relationships with the community, families and students.

Summary of the Diagnostic Tool for School District Effectiveness Report – Spring Valley
High School
The Report prepared in May by the State Education Department found and documented
significant failures of leadership by the leadership of the East Ramapo Central School District,
including:
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The report found little evidence of planning to address the needs of English language
learners (ELLs). The school contains only one bilingual class made up of students with
varying proficiencies, despite a large ELL population.
The school leadership was reported to be ineffective in providing adequate support to the
instructional staff, including reports of teachers indicating that professional development
is not responsive to teacher needs identified in observations, no common planning time
for teachers, and failure by school leaders to monitor lesson plans on a regular basis to
ensure consistency.
The school environment was reportedly very troubling, including reports by students that
some staff members do not treat students with respect, and as a result, most students do
not see the classroom or school as an intellectually safe learning environment. This could
in part be explained by staff reports that there is little professional development provided
to support student social and emotional development health.

 Summary of the East Ramapo Central School District Review of English Language
Learner (ELL) Violations
The Report prepared in February by the State Education Department found and documented
significant failures of leadership by the leadership of the East Ramapo Central School District
with regard to services for ELLs, including:
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The district has failed to provide bilingual education to students who are entitled to those
services. While approximately 1/3 of East Ramapo Central School District’s (East
Ramapo, or the district) student population is ELL (65% of which are Spanish speakers),
as of 2014-15 the district operates only one Spanish Bilingual Education program and
one Yiddish Bilingual Education program. The district’s Students with Interrupted
Formal Education (SIFE) are ineligible to enroll in Bilingual Education programs.
There is a pervasive lack of cultural competency by the district’s superintendent, Joel
Klein, which, at best, indicates a failure to understand the background and needs of the
district’s ELL community. When discussing plans for the alternative/transitional
program in the district, Superintendent Klein expounded on problems resulting from
placing older (18-20 year old) students in 9th grade, resulting in the recent pregnancies of
19 “Hispanic” students. This was a follow up to comments made by Superintendent
Klein at an August 2014 board meeting, where he said of immigrant students, “They want
to learn the language. They want free lunch, breakfast and whatever else they can get.
They know they cannot get a diploma…It’s a major, major issue.”
The district has failed to provide ELLs access to required coursework and credits toward
graduation. At the high school level, Beginner and Intermediate level ELLs are denied
access to the core curriculum and credits necessary for graduation. Beginner and
Intermediate ELLs instead take introductory content courses (e.g., in science, social
studies, and other subjects) that accrue elective credit only, and not core content area
credits for graduation.
Even where programs are available, the district’s offerings fail to provide ELLs with
adequate instruction. Many ELLs languish in classes where instruction is well below
grade level. Some Advanced ELLs were asked to interpret class lessons for Beginner
ELLs. Students are not adequately supervised. Very young children were left without
supervision for five or more minutes, and high school students were observed sleeping or
eating in class without teacher intervention.
SED initially refused to approve the district’s Title III proposal over concerns that the
district’s plan is inadequate and out of compliance with the program’s requirements.